Washu's Second Daughter
by Faelhah the Insane
Summary: A young girl crashes her ship in the Masaki's lake. Imagine everyone's surprise when it turns out to be Oni, Washu's second daughter! AN: Sorry 'bout the title...I'm never good at naming stories.
1. Oni's Arrival

Oh boy, oh boy! I'm so excited! This chapter of this story will be my first ever published fanfic! Now, I have written fanfics, so I don't care how hard you go on this one. Criticize me all you want, I don't care, as long as it's said nicely. Of course, if you _do_ like my fic, feel free to tell me....

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters except Oni, and I do not own Tenchi Muyo. Pioneer owns them, I think, and whoever else owns them also owns them. (How's that for a no-brainer?)

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Washu's second daughter

Chapter 1: Oni's Arrival

"Miiiiiiiiiiiiyyyyyyyyyyyaaaaaaaaaaaa!" screamed the small blue ship as she shuttled through a group of her attackers, a fleet of Galaxy Police ships that were blocking her way.

"That's it, Rai-ohki!" praised Oni, the captian, owner, and only being on the ship as she stood fearlessly at the helm, giving comands to her friend. "They'll be sorry they even _dreamed_ of taking us on!" Almost as if accepting Oni's challenge, the many ships began to surround Rai-ohki. A voice could be heard from inside one of the crafts.

"We have you surrounded!" it yelled. "There's no means of escape even you could maneuver! It would be wise for you to surrender, Oni!"

"Oh, yeah?" said Oni. "Is that so?" She turned to a prism that floated nearby. "Rai-ohki, gap at four o'clock."

"Miii," answered a cabbit's face on the prism.

Rai-ohki began to glow as she warmed up her turbos. "Miiiiii," she hissed threateningly to the ships.

Meanwhile, Oni shook her head. "Show-off," she muttered. Even as the words left her mouth, the cabbit took off, firing lasers at the ships in her path, zig-zagging through space as and evasion tactic. Soon, they were flying through a cluster of exploding ships. "Alright!" cheered Oni. "Almost home free, eh, Rai-ohki?"

"Miiiiyyyaaaa!!!!" the cabbit agreed, picking up speed once the fleet had nearly disappeared behind them.

A chair materialized under Oni just in time to catch her as she sat down hard. A slight smile touched her lips. "Well, that was fun," she said. "You know, without the GP, my life would be so boring."

Several deep blue, cabbit-faced prisms floated closer to their captain, who gazed thoughtfully into the faces. They were all identical: with black fur scattered with glittering gold hairs, big teardrop eyes, a blue round jewel on the forehead. Oni sighed. "I guess we'll never be able to find that Ryoko, huh?" she said.

"Mii," the faithful cabbit answered sadly.

"Oh well," said Oni, instantly cheering up. "It sure has been tons of fun looking."

"Miii!" protested Rai-ohki.

"Come on, Rai-ohki! Just tell me this hasn't been a blast!" said the reckless teen.

"Mi."

"Party pooper."

Suddenly, a voice came from out of nowhere: "Alright, Oni, I've got you now! This is for all of my fellow officers killed today!"

Oni jumped up. "What the--"

But she couldn't finish that thought; Rai-ohki was going down, fast! The last thing Oni saw was a small blue orb floating in space before she passed quietly out.

* * * * * *

Tenchi wiped his brow as he walked back to the house, a load of carrots on his back. The sun beat down on him, not helping to relieve the heat from his labors. Still, he was relieved to get his chores done for the day.

"Tenchi!" came an excited cry. Before the poor boy knew what was happening, he was being glomped by a very clingy woman with spiky cyan hair.

The carrots tumbled out of the basket and fell to the ground. All Tenchi could do was gently pry Ryoko off of him and start to pick up the goods. "Ohayo, Ryoko," he said unenthusiastically.

"Oh, Tenchi, isn't it a lovely morning?" asked Ryoko, cheerfully helping Tenchi with his load.

"Beautiful," grumbled Tenchi. "So, what are you doing up so early?"

Ryoko blinked. "What do you mean? It's almost noon!"

"Exactly what I said."

"You shouldn't be so cold, Tenchi," Ryoko pouted at his tone. "I was just trying to turn over a new leaf and be a better person. Isn't waking up earlier a _good_ trait?"

Tenchi looked up at Ryoko. "Yeah, it is. I'm sorry, Ryoko. I'll try and be more supportive."

By this time, the two found themselves at the Masaki shrine, where they found the residents of the household busying themselves with one thing or another. Yosho was sweeping the yard, Mihoshi was, as usual, napping on the porch, and Sasami was carrying out a large picnic basket. Everyone else was spreading out a blanket in front of the house. Sasami walked up to them with her basket. "Ryoko, Tenchi! We decided to have lunch out in the yard today," the young princess explained. "Care to join us?"

"Alright!" cheered Ryoko and instantly teleported onto the blanket that had been laid out. "Come here, Tenchi, I saved you a seat!" she called.

Beside her, Aeka fumed. "Excuse me, bakemono, but __I_ already saved Tenchi-sama a seat. Why don't you go sit by your mother, Ryoko?" Ayeka's tone was mocking, and Ryoko flushed angrily.

Washu looked up from her laptop. "Oh, that's all right, Ayeka-san. I'm sure she'll be perfectly comfortable right there," Washu's face took on a mischievous expression, "beside Tenchi-sama."

Sticking out her tongue at Ayeka, Ryoko sat down, pulling Tenchi with her. 'Thanks, Washu,' she thought, grinning happily.

The picnic continued as usual, Ryoko and Ayeka fighting over Tenchi, Sasami trying to keep the peace, Mihoshi trying to have a pleasant conversation with Yosho, and Washu typing at her laptop and talking half-heartedly to Naboyuki. Every now and then, Ryo-ohki would let out a happy "Miya!" and nibble on her carrot.

The cheery noises were broken by the splash from the lake in front of the Masaki shrine. All conversation stopped abruptly, and Washu cleared her throat, beckoning everyone to look at her. "It would appear that a spacecraft has landed in the lake," she explained simply.

Ayeka looked at Washu in annoyance. "Well, that's a little obvious, isn't it?"

"Well, of course, Ayeka-san. It wouldn't be any fun otherwise, now would it?"

"But--!" Ayeka began. She stopped. "But that would mean..." Everyone looked from Mihoshi, to the lake, and back a couple of times.

The GP officer fidgetted under all the glances. "What?" she asked nervously. "Why is everyone looking at me? Guys? Hey, stop it!"

"If it's not Mihoshi..." began Ryoko.

"Then who...?" asked Sasami.

"Well," said Tenchi, getting up from the picnic blanket, "there's only one way to find out."

Ayeka and Mihoshi clung to Tenchi worriedly as the group made its way to the lake, though no one seemed to notice. Tenchi was just glad that Ryoko was too busy trying to see the object that had fallen to start anything with the two girls. She was right, though. There was something more to worry about than to start a fight over Tenchi, so the group walked in silence to the lake.

A young girl climbed wearily over the hill, panting and gasping. She had icy lavendar hair pulled into a spiky ponytail and eyes of a green that was just as pale as the lavender of her hair. She seemed younger than most of the girls that had previously made their way to the Masaki residence, but older than Sasami, maybe in her mid-teens. This girl's build was that of Washu's, petite and slim, and she was about the same height as Washu as well.

Near the front of the group, Washu froze, her eyes wide open. "Oni," she said.

The girl finished brushing off her clothes and turned to the group. She also froze as her eyes met Washu's. "Mom?" Her voice was meek.

Ryoko stared at the newcomer. "You've gotta be kidding me, Washu!" she said. "She's your daughter?"

"You could say that," Washu answered sheepishly. She turned to Oni. "So, where've you been, anyway, Oni? And where's Rai-ohki?"

"Rai-ohki's over in the lake messing around," Oni pointed down the hill at the pond, "and we've been looking for Ryoko. I'm sorry, Mom, but we just couldn't find her for you."

A throat cleared behind Oni. She turned around to see Ryoko, who had obviously teleported to be there. "Looks to me like you just did," she said.

Oni blinked. "You? You're Ryoko?" she said in surprise. "No offense but I imagined you more...bookish, I guess is the word."

Ryoko laughed. "Me? 'Bookish'? Oh, that's rich!"

"Well, you *are* my daughter, Ryoko," Washu said. "You *should* have been a little more intellectual. I bet that Kagato's been a bad influence on you. Luckily, this girl doesn't get in as much trouble as you. She's always been a sweet little angel. Like me."

Ryoko snickered at the comparison. Beside her, Oni laughed nervously. "Well...I haven't exactly been *that* angelic..."

"Oh, you haven't?" Washu asked suspiciously.

"Eheheh...number two on the Intergalactic Most Wanted list," Oni explained.

"Wow, number two? I didn't get that far up until I was at least twice your age!" Ryoko said in surprise. "And then that blasted Yosho had to seal me up for 20,000 years."

"'Blasted Yosho'?" Yosho said, appearing behind Ryoko, his glasses glowing.

"Uh, I didn't mean 'blasted Yosho' as much as...'Yosho, the causer of an annoying turn of events'...yeah..." said Ryoko.

"Excuse me, Washu-san, but--"Ayeka began abruptly.

"Washu-chan," Washu automatically corrected.

"Washu-chan, excuse me but the rest of us need a little explanation, if you please. I mean, I know you and this Oni would know what's going on, and, of course, Ryoko has her animal instincts," (beside Ayeka, Ryoko growled angrily), "but the rest of us are almost entirely clueless to the situation. Please explain, Washu-sa--er, Washu-chan."

"Of course, Ayeka-san!" Washu's grinned at a chance in the spotlight. She cleared her throat and said, "You all know that I was trapped in Kagato's ship, right? And that Ryoko went away from me a long time ago?" Everyone nodded. "Well, between the time that Ryoko left, and the time that I was trapped in Kagato's ship, I still needed a helping hand around the lab. Besides, I made a daughter, and I deserved to have a daughter, whether or not it was the same one I made first. So I made another copy of Ryoko, but this time, I fiddled with the genes to make a whole new person; different color hair and eyes, different personality, different gems, different facial features, even. All the fiddling lead to this person here." She gestured to Oni. "Of course, then I had to get her a pet, as well as a means of transportation, so I made Rai-ohki, whom I haven't seen yet, by the way," she added in an accusatory tone to Oni. "But, not long before Kagato sealed me in his ship, little Oni-chan decided to leave her poor mother to go look for Ryoko, and I never saw her again." Washu paused and sighed. "I mean, not even a letter from my dear daughter for years and years! As far as I knew, she could have been in a traffic accident out in the reaches of space, or out partying with strange men! But, does she care that her poor mother is worrying relentlessly about her? Does she care that her mother is wondering where she went wrong, losing both her sweet little daughters like that? No siree! I bet she was having too much fun breaking rules and becoming number two on the Intergalactic Most Wanted list."

"Aw, Mom!" Oni said. "It wasn't that bad! You were frozen in that rock-thing in Kagato's ship anyway! How would you have known if I contacted you?"

"I know everything," Washu said.

"Sure." Oni sighed. "I'm gonna go get Rai-ohki. Then, if you don't mind, I'd like to stay a little while and get to know all of you," she said.

"Of course," Nabayuki said suddenly. "What's one more beautiful girl staying with us, huh? It'd be our pleasure!" Nabayuki grasped Oni's hands in a warm gesture while the young girl gave a nervous little laugh.

"I really should go get Rai-ohki now," she said, breaking free from the man's grip. When he turned around, Washu was giving Nabayuki a glare that could kill. It was his turn to laugh nervously.

"Maybe someone should go with you," Tenchi said, ignoring his father. "It might be best if you had some company. I'm Tenchi. Oni, right?"

Oni nodded. "Okay. It'll be much more pleasant than just me and Rai-ohki walking all alone. Arigato, Tenchi-san."

Smiling, Tenchi turned to the rest of the houshold and said, "We'll be right back then. Don't wait up!"

Tenchi and Oni began to walk toward the lake. "So, what's been going on with Mom lately?" asked Oni. "She was too busy talking about me to you guys that I didn't have time to ask."

"She's been hanging around our house pretty much," Tenchi explained. "She made a psudolab in the broom closet, and has been doing experiments in most of her time."

"That's Mom. Who did she pick as her guinea pig this time?"

"N-no one," stammered Tenchi hesitantly.

"You, huh?" said Oni. "Well, that makes sense. There does seem to be something about you that would interest a scientist like Mom."

"Really? Because I just thought it was that thing I did with the Light Hawk Wings."

Oni gave Tenchi a surprised look. "You created Light Hawk Wings?" Tenchi nodded. "That's funny. You don't *look* like a Jurain ship. Those guys'll never stop surprising me. First a tree, then some lady with this sea green hair, now an Earthling?"

"But I'm not a Jurain ship," Tenchi said. Then he paused. "You saw Tsunami?"

"Tsunami, is it? I was just flying around in Rai-ohki looking for Ryoko and trying to get away from the Galaxy Police, and I saw this fight taking place, so of course I had to go see what was going on. I saw a ship that looked familiar, like Kagato's and another ship that looked vaguely like my Rai-ohki, and another ship that seemed to be from Jurai. Suddenly a woman appeared with greenish blue hair and a Jurain outfit thingy and turned into a ship. Then the GP showed up and I had to leave."

"You saw that?" Tenchi said in awe.

"Yeah," answered Oni.

"That actually was your mother, and Ryoko, and all of us," said Tenchi.

"No kidding?"

"No kidding."

"Wow. That's weird. I had actually found Ryoko and I didn't even know about it." Oni stopped walking. "This is where I left Rai-ohki. Rai-ohki! I'm back!" she called.

A small black cabbit suddenly came up to the two walking. Her fur sparkled in the sun, making it look starry and cosmic. It took Tenchi a while to realize that it actually was sparkling, with a substance resembling glitter in the cabbit's fur. The jewel on her forehead was perfectly round. The cabbit had a white stomach, reminding Tenchi of his cat. Other than the color differences, Rai-ohki was a mirror image of Ryo-ohki, except smaller. Tenchi thought it was because of the age difference, but Rai-ohki looked mature, as mature as a cabbit could look, anyway.

"Rai-ohki, what have you been up to all this time? I found Ryoko! And Mom! Aren't you excited?"

"Miii!" cheered Rai-ohki. "Mii, mii-iii!"

"Whadaya mean by that?" Oni demanded. "We had fun, and you know we did. In fact, I'm almost sorry the search is over! Think of all the trouble we got into, huh?"

"Mi," said Rai-ohki.

"Fine, be that way. Rai-ohki, this is Tenchi. Tenchi, Rai-ohki."

"Pleased to meet you," Tenchi said politely.

"Mi," answered Rai-ohki.

"Alright, now that we found you, let's go see Mom!" She scooped up her cabbit and hurried up the hill. "Come on, Tenchi!" she called behind her.

"I'm coming," answered Tenchi. As Tenchi tried in vain to catch up to the girl, he smiled to himself. 'Well,' he thought, 'another addition to the Masaki residence. I should have known it wasn't over yet.'

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Well, how did everyone like the fic? More to come as soon as I...uh...write more!

Japanese translations:

Ohayo-Good morning

Bakemono-Monster

Arigato-Thank you


	2. Sibling Rivalry

Alright, and here's Chapter 2 of Washu's Second Daughter, the fanfic with the boring name that I just slapped on it so I could post it!! Even this chapter's got the most predictable title imaginable: Sibling Rivalry. Ho hum. Well, enjoy, peeps!

The disclaimer on Chapter 1 applies to this and all other chapters of the fic. Thank you!

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Chapter 2: Sibling Rivalry

Ryoko sighed as she fiddled with her sake glass. The atmosphere was thick with silence louder than a scream. The appearance of the girl had been a big surprise to everyone, especially Ryoko. She knew that she and Washu had never been the closest mother-daughter duo, but in those "bonding moments", as Washu called them (the ones where Washu tied Ryoko down in her lab and give lectures about when _she_ was a kid how she _respected_ her mother, or tell other stories of things that happened while Ryoko was gone, most of them her fault, before Ryoko finally lost her temper and blasted through the bindings with an energy blast that usually resulted in a part of the lab being blown up) Ryoko figured she would have brought up Oni at least once. But this was the first time Ryoko had heard about her little nee-chan. It was all very unsettling.

Silence reigned a few more seconds before Ryoko slammed her sake glass down on the coffee table. "What's going on, Washu?" she demanded. "Why have we not heard about this little squirt before now, huh?"

Washu smiled. "Well, Ryoko, when did you expect me to tell you. I mean, all the times I could have told you, you were off swooning over Tenchi and picking fights with Ayeka."

"Yes, Ryoko," Ayeka said maliciously. "Why must you always be such a nasty person, picking fights with the first princess of Jurai."

"Now, now, don't even start," Washu said. "This is between me and Ryoko, Ayeka-san." Under her breath, she added, "Boy, if you were my daughter, I don't know what I'd do. Anyway, Ryoko," she continued to Ryoko in a normal tone, "there wasn't really an appropriate time to tell you. After all, I didn't actually give Oni much thought once I found _you_ again. Why would a mother dwell on the daughter that was missing when another daughter had just come back? So, you see, there was no need to tell any of you."

"Well...I don't have to like it," Ryoko said.

"No, you don't," Washu agreed.

"So, Washu-chan," Mihoshi suddenly piped up, "who was that adorable little girl out there, anyway?"

There was a crash as everyone face-faulted. "Mihoshi-chan, didn't you listen to a word Washu-chan said earlier?" Sasami asked, a look of pure exasperation on her face.

"No, it didn't really seem to concern me, so..." Mihoshi said.

Seconds later, the door opened, and Tenchi came in with a cheerful Oni following behind. The girl had a black cabbit perched on her shoulder. "Konnichi'wa, minna-san!" she chirped.

Ryoko leaned over the table to look at the cabbit. "Amazing!" she said. "She looks exactly like Ryo-ohki!"

"Miya," protested Ryo-ohki from behind the table.

"Well, I meant besides that, silly," Ryoko answered. Ryo-ohki's response was sticking her nose up in the air.

"This is Rai-ohki, everyone," said Oni.

Rai-ohki said, "Mi."

"Oh! She's so kawaii!" Sasami exclaimed and started petting the cabbit.

"What's with the glitter?" asked Mihoshi. "It's pretty!"

"It was a real statement on one of the planets we visited," Oni informed her.

Ayeka examined the cabbit. "It is kind of kawaii," she said, agreeing with Sasami.

"Well, Oni," said Washu, "it looks like you took very good care of Rai-ohki. Did you guys have fun on your search?"

"_I_ did," said Oni, knocking Rai-ohki gently on the head with her knuckles.

"Mii," said Rai-ohki.

"Hey, don't you like adventure" said Ryoko to Rai-ohki.

"No she doesn't," Oni confirmed. "She's been complaining the whole time."

"Now, why would she do a thing like that?" asked Ryoko. "Ryo-ohki never complained about having fun, right, Ryo-ohki?"

There was silence. "Ryo-chan?" Sasami said. "Ryoko just asked you a-Oh no! She's gone!"

Ryoko looked over to where Sasami was sitting, also where Ryo-ohki had been. "Oh, man! Ryo-ohki! Where did she run off to now?"

"It's okay, Ryoko," Washu said. "She's run off before. Right now, Oni's here! I promise we can find her later."

"Well..." began Ryoko dubiously. "Okay."

"Arigato, Ryoko-san," Oni said. "If Ryo-ohki's anything like my Rai-ohki, she just needs some time to-"

Suddenly, Ryoko lost it. "No!" she almost yelled. "Ryo-ohki's nothing like your little Rai-ohki! You just think you can come into our lives with no notice or anything, then act like you know Ryo-ohki?"

"Ryoko-chan," Sasami said meekly.

"Sorry, Sasami, I'm leaving!" With that, the space pirate levitated through the ceiling and disappeared.

"Oops," said Oni. "I'm sorry, minna, I didn't mean to piss her off."

Ayeka smiled. "She probably deserved it, anyway. Bad karma, you know. It was probably fate's way of getting back at her for being such a nasty person."

Oni decided she didn't like that princess very much.

* * * *

A stone flew into the Masaki's lake and skipped a few times before subsiding to the bottom of the pond. The thrower of the rock scowled down at the water. "Who the hell does she think she is, anyway?" Ryoko asked no one in particular. "She doesn't know any of us, especially me or Ryo-ohki. Showing up here and thinking she owns the place..."

Noises could be heard coming towards the lake. Ryoko looked up, cursed, then disappeared once again. She reappeared in the carrot fields. If she was going to be out here, she figured she had best start looking for Ryo-ohki. The fields were one of Ryo-ohki's favorite places, Ryoko knew. So that was the best place to look.

A smiling face appeared before Ryoko's angered one. Ryoko jumped. "Don't do that!" she said to her little sister.

Oni continued to smile. "Look who I found!" she said.

"Who? Don't tell me you found Ryo-ohki already-!"

"No way, like I'd even know where to start looking! What I did find was..." Oni took something behind her back. It looked like a miniature doll of Ayeka.

"Is that supposed to cheer me up?" Ryoko demanded, then stopped, considering. "Is that a voodoo doll?"

"No, I couldn't find one of those, but we can pretend it is!"

"Pretend? What are you, six?"

Oni sighed. "Come on, humor me! It'll take some stress off to beat up on it, huh?"

"Heh, heh, I like the way you think!" said Ryoko. "Hurting _anything_ that looks like Ayeka's enough to relax anything!" She held her hands ready to gather some energy to blast the Ayeka-doll with. Oni just sat and smiled. Ryoko looked at her, confused. "Aren't you gonna take a shot?"

"Me? Uh, no, I just brought it to cheer you up," she explained.

Ryoko's confusion didn't subside. She let the energy blast shrink back into nothingness. "Come on! It'll be fun to team up on 'er, don't you think? What's the matter?"

"I...um...I was going to look for Ryo-ohki."

"What? Can't you make just a little energy sword? You said it yourself: great stress-reliever."

"I'm n-not stressed out," stuttered Oni. "I just don't want to intrude! Really."

"Okay..." Ryoko shot a blast at the doll, leaving in ashes, and laughed maniacally. "Alright, let's go look for Ryo-ohki now!"

"Hai!"

From the shadows, two emerald green eyes peered out at the two. She laughed quietly to herself. "Well, that ought to take care of *that* sibling rivalry! Who would've thought it only took a little Ayeka-doll manufacturing to get the job done, besides me, the Greatest Scientific Genius in the Universe? Now to take care of the other two sisters..." The eyes turned to Ryo-ohki, sitting just in front of the bushes in which Washu sat cunningly. A hand reached out of the bushes and threw a carrot about a foot in front of the cabbit's nose. Ryo-ohki miya-ed happily and dove on the carrot with the vigor of her usual self, untainted with jealousy, but *not* untainted with hunger. "All cabbits like carrots," Washu recalled. "Let's just hope they make up like good little girls should."

A soft chuckle could be heard from the bushes, but Ryo-ohki didn't notice. She had found a friend, she had found love. She had found a carrot.

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Well, how did everyone like my second chapter? R&R pretty please!

Japanese translations:

Konnichi'wa: Good day (greeting)

Minna, minna-san: Everyone

Kawaii: Cute!!!

Arigato: Thank you

I think that's all for Japanese translations. If I forgot anything that you don't know, I'd be happy to tell you what it means. Just e-mail me ([faelhah@hotmail.com)][1] or something.

   [1]: mailto:(faelhah@hotmail.com)



	3. Cabbit Wars

Everyone ready for Chapter 3? Good, good. R/R pretty please! And if the Japanese bugs people, just tell me, and I'll try to stop. (Translations are at the bottom!)

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Chapter 3 - Cabbit Wars

"I really don't know what got into her," Sasami sighed to the rest of the Masaki household. The sun was beginning to sink behind the hills surrounding the shrine. Everyone was sitting in the front yard of the shrine, all but Oni and Ryoko, who had gone to find Ryo-ohki.

"I do," said Washu. "Jealousy, pure and simple."

"Jealousy?" everyone repeated.

"Isn't it obvious? Ryo-ohki's always the center of attention, not just with Ryoko, but with Sasami, too. Now, another cabbit comes, and Ryo-ohki feels she's being replaced."

Sasami sighed again. "Why would she think something like that?"

"Well..." Washu began. She didn't get to finish before the group spotted Oni and Ryoko heading over the hill.

"Did you find her?" Sasami said anxiously.

Ryoko shook her head. "She refuses to answer. I know she's out there, but she's being to much of a baby to come sort it out!"

"Don't be too hard on her, Ryoko," Washu said.

Ayeka got up from her seat on a rock. "I'm sorry, Sasami, but it's getting late," she said sincerely. "We should be getting in. Ryo-ohki will come back."

"If you say so, oneesan," Sasami said sadly. "But if she doesn't I don't know what I'd do!"

"It's okay, squirt!" Ryoko said. She ruffled Sasami's hair playfully. "She'll definitely come back soon! After all, we have all the carrots!"

Sasami smiled. "Arigato, Ryoko. Oh no!"

"Nani?" everyone asked.

"I haven't even started dinner yet! Gomen ne minna-san!" There was a mass face fault. "I'll get to it right away!" The young princess skipped off into the shrine.

"Wow, she cheered up fast," Ayeka said.

"Yeah!" Mihoshi agreed. "I just hope Ryo-ohki will cheer up quickly too."

"That's a nice thought, Mihoshi," said Tenchi.

"Hai! I couldn't stand another late dinner!"

Another mass face fault. Once they all recovered, everyone but Washu started to go inside. "Hey, Washu!" called Ryoko. "You coming?"

"Just a minute, Ryoko. I'll be right in."

Ryoko nodded and went through the door that someone had already closed, leaving Washu in the silence. She sighed. "Now, where is that Rai-ohki?" she asked herself, pulling another carrot out of her sleeve.

* * * *

"Miii," Rai-ohki sighed, walking around by the lake. She had been trying to blow off some steam from her encounter with Ryo-ohki. The least she could have done was give the visitor a chance, Rai-ohki thought. It was just rude to act so snobbish as to stick her nose up at an introduction. If she hadn't gone off with Ryoko, maybe Washu would've taught her some manners, Rai-ohki thought. But, no, Ryo-ohki had to be the bitchiest cabbit on the face of the planet as far as Rai-ohki was concerned. Rai-ohki curled up on the ground, scowling to herself at the mere thought of her counterpart.

"There you are, sweetie," a voice said above the cabbit. Rai-ohki looked up to see a familiar short redhead with emerald eyes. She miied at her creator. She wondered what Washu was holding behind her back. Finally, Washu pulled a carrot out from behind her, answering the cabbit's question. "Miiiya," Rai-ohki said, happily batting at the carrot with her paw.

"Well, did you find Ryo-ohki and make up with her yet?" Washu asked, a very motherly tone in her voice. Rai-ohki shook her head. "Well, then," Washu said, "you'll just have to fetch for it."

Rai-ohki looked confused while Washu threw the carrot as far as she could toward the bushes where Ryo-ohki had fallen asleep. She gave the scientist a slightly degraded look before going after it. "Sorry, Rai-ohki," Washu said, almost to herself, "but this may just get you two together."

* * * *

"Sasami, can I have some more, please?" Mihoshi said politely.

"Sure," Sasami said before passing the dish over to the Galaxy Police officer.

"Arigato gozaimasu!" Mihoshi dug into the rice, piling a heap of it on her plate.

"So," Nabayuki was saying to Oni, "you were in space all that time?"

"Yeah, a little over 20,000 years," answered Oni.

"Lucky," said Ryoko. "That's how long I was stuck in a cold, dark cave! Some people get all the luck. Then again, I never would've met Tenchi hadn't Yosho sealed me in there." She snuggled against Tenchi, who was sitting next to her. Ayeka loudly objected, but Ryoko ignored her. "And I would still be in there if my Tenchi hadn't come and released me!"

There was a pause while Ayeka fumed at Ryoko, who was cuddling even more with a very reluctant Tenchi. Sasami sighed and looked at her plate. "I just wish I knew if Ryo-ohki was alright."

Ayeka stopped glaring at Ryoko to turn to her sister. "I'm sure she's fine, Sasami."

"Yeah!" said Mihoshi. "And even if she is jealous, she'll only be angry at you and Ryoko, since...uh...I guess that's not as reassuring as it sounded in my head."

Before anyone could whack Mihoshi violently over the head, a crash sounded in the difference. "Oh no!" exclaimed Sasami, fearing the worst.

"Miyaaaaaaa!!!" came a familiar cry.

"That's Ryo-ohki all right!" said Ryoko, as if confirming a thought she had. Everyone rushed out of the shrine.

What they saw were two ships, hovering in the air, each a familiar structure, one red and bronze, one silver and blue, not quite as familiar to the majority of the group, but Oni recognized it immediately as Rai-ohki. The ships were glowing with anger, obviously at each other, and were prepared to attack. The power radiating off of the ships caused a wind that nearly blew the group back into the structure from whence they came.

Washu's eyes darted back and forth between the two cabbits, and her mind was racing. Suddenly, a thought came to her. "Oh, why didn't I hypothesize this?" she demanded of no one in particular.

"What's going on, Washu-chan?" Mihoshi asked.

"They're fighting over a carrot, I think."

"What?" Ayeka said. "What do you mean they're fighting over a carrot?"

"Well," said Washu, hand behind her head, an embarrassed smile on her face, "it's a long story, really."

"I'd say we've got time, but I don't think we do," said Ryoko. "Those guys are going to hurt somebody!"

"Oh, this is all my fault!" Sasami wailed.

Oni looked over to Sasami. "No, it's not. Don't worry, Sasami-chan. I think I can get Rai-ohki to stop, anyway. And, Ryoko?"

"On it."

The two went up the hill in front of the Masaki residence, Oni walking, Ryoko, as usual, floating. Ryoko cleared her throat. "Hey, Ryo-ohki!" she called. The red ship turned to her mistress. "Don't do anything you'll regret later, okay?"

"Rai-ohki! Just come down here and forget about the carrot!" said Oni. Neither of the cabbits listened. Oni tried again. "Look, Rai-ohki, Ryo-ohki just isn't used to having another cabbit around! If you just give her some time to adjust, I think you'll get along just fine."

"Mii..."

"Ryo-ohki!" Ryoko said. "There's no need to be jealous!"

"Miya?"

"Right! I mean look over there for example!" Ryoko gestured to Sasami, who was standing among the rest of the group. "She's not going to let any old loser cabbit that comes along replace you!" 

At this comment, Oni elbowed Ryoko in the ribs and gave her a 'better-watch-it' kind of look. Ryoko looked back at her and muttered, "Hey, whatever works, right?"

Oni shrugged it off and turned back to her cabbit. "Just stop fighting, okay?"

"Mi."

"Oh, now you're adventurous! What do you mean you haven't started yet?"

"Miii!"

"Quit acting like such a child!"

Rai-ohki thought about this. Soon, she had shrunken back into the adorable little animal she usually was. Seeing as the other cabbit had backed down, Ryo-ohki also turned into her animal form. Oni and Ryoko sighed with relief. Washu walked over to them.

"Now, are you two going to be good little girls and get along?" she asked. The cabbits glared at each other, then promptly stuck their noses in the air.

"Please be nice, Ryo-ohki," Sasami said. "You two would make great friends."

"Miya." Ryo-ohki looked over at the other cabbit, who was looking intently at Ryo-ohki to see what she would do. The brown cabbit gave a cheerful "Miya!" and looked at her new friend forgivingly.

"There," Washu said suddenly. She produced two large carrots from behind her back. "Now that you're getting along, you deserve a reward, huh?" She then gave each carrot to each cabbit. "Enjoy, you two."

* * * *

A ship hovered above the surface of the planet Earth. The ship was a little small and red, with a little logo on the front. One that Tenchi & Co. knew well from their past experiences. But they didn't see it, sitting up there in space. Even if they had looked, they might have only seen a tiny, microscopic dot in the sky, way too small to be identified or noticed by anything short of the human (or non-human) subconscious. But this ship was there, wasting away the time. Who wasn't wasting away the time was the man inside the ship.

This man was an interesting person. His beard was much of the reason for this, curling up around his weary, chiseled face. To add to it, he wasn't of usual height. He was a little on the short side (and when I say 'a little' I mean 'a lot'). This man was Dr. Clay.

Dr. Clay glanced over his computer at the house in which Washu was staying. What he saw was the hustling of the group into the yard, and two ships, hovering, not unlike his own, over the landscape. Soon, for some reason, the ships disappeared. Naturally, Dr. Clay zoomed his camera in a little more to see what had happened. What he saw when he did this was a small group of people gathered around two unusual but familiar-looking creatures. Looking closely, he spotted Washu in the crowd.

"There you are, Washu," Dr. Clay said to himself. "If only I could get you to come with me to Tokimi-sama." He scrutinized the scene a little longer. "But, wait," he muttered. "I haven't seen this girl before."

Dr. Clay examined the new addition to the group. She looked somewhat like Ryoko. In fact, she could've been her sister. 'She probably is,' Dr. Clay reminded himself. 'No one said anything about how many daughters that Washu had.'

"This girl. She may be my way to getting Washu," Dr. Clay thought out loud. "She never suspected anything when we cloned Ryoko. Maybe I could get a clone for her, too, and..." Dr. Clay paused. "No. She'd be expecting that now. I have to try a slightly different approach. Zero II!" he called suddenly.

A shiny new robot rolled around the corner. "Hai." it said. It's voice was similar to the first model of Zero, feminine and of a neutral tone. This one had not seen so many things as the first one, so its voice was less weary, as 'less weary' as a neutral-toned voice could sound.

Dr. Clay rubbed his hands together sinisterly. If he messed up now, that would be it. He had to make this try count. He had to enjoy saying his next words. He gave an experimental evil chuckle.

"Bring me that girl."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Well, that was Chapter Three. I hope you all enjoyed it. I think this one might have been shorter than the first two, but I'm not sure. Oh well! Anyway, please R/R! And since you've already R-ed, it's time to R! Come on, tell me what you thought of this one!

But first...

Japanese Translations:

Oneesan - Honorable big sister (pronounced "oh-neh-san")

Gomen ne, minna-san - Sorry everyone

Nani - What

Hai - Yes, yes sir, right, etc.

Arigato Gozaimasu - Thank you very much


	4. Tsunami's Worry

Yeah, yeah, I know no one really said anything about the Japanese, but you will find that there is considerably less in this chapter. It started getting annoying. Of course, I still have all the "-chan"s and "-san"s and other things like that.

One more thing: I just realized the other day that I'm spelling Nobuyuki's name wrong! (It is most certainly *not* Nabayuki!!) Gomen, minna-san! I'll get that fixed in this chapter...That said, enjoy!

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Chapter 4 - Tsunami's Worry

The Masaki family retired to their rooms for a peaceful night's sleep. Each room in the house was darkened. All were placidly resting on their respective futon, dreaming away about things that suited each of them. Tenchi had set up a futon in a corner Washu's psudolab, where she had collapsed on the spot as soon as it had been laid out. Now, Rai-ohki cuddled warmly against her, the girl slept soundly. In another room, Ryoko was sleeping not quite as serenely, as she kept snoring and mumbling things in her sleep, most of which were about Tenchi. Tenchi himself had already dozed off. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that he was dreaming of a nice, peaceful life, without any strange women constantly competing for his affection.

In the princesses' room, Sasami was troubled. Her carnation pink eyes were directed constantly at the ceiling. She used to have nights like this one. Before she told whom she considered as her family about Tsunami, nearly every night she would worry about what they would think. Even then, a small part of her knew it was alright, that she shouldn't worry. But now, now every bone in Sasami's body seemed to know that something was wrong.

Sasami stood up and stepped carefully over her sleeping sister. 'Maybe,' she thought, 'if I got some warm milk or something it would help me sleep?'

Walking through the hall to the kitchen, Sasami passed a mirror. She wasn't that surprised to see that the reflection was of Tsunami. Yet, she still worried. Even the fact that she was worried troubled her this night. The half of her that was Tsunami seemed to always know what was going on, and that was the part of her that was the most concerned. To Sasami, that meant that the cause of her worries was not her imagination. Something *was* wrong, and the young princess knew it.

Once in the kitchen, she got out the milk and an earthenware tumbler. She warmed the milk and drank it down, then headed off to bed. After that she slept like a log.

* * * *

Washu typed busily at her laptop. The psudolab seemed quiet that evening, even quieter than usual, which was fine with Washu. The day's events had let the work pile up on her desk. The quiet just helped her concentrate. By now, she was almost done.

A sigh could be heard from the depths of Washu's lab. The genius smiled. Oni was fast asleep on the floor among the scientific equipment.

Washu had forgotten how extremely angelic Oni was when she slept. She would cuddle up in a tight little ball sometimes and sprawl out others, always keeping her precious cabbit close at hand, as if she were a favorite stuffed animal. "Most wanted criminal or not," she said, more to herself than Oni, "you do make an adorable daughter." She smiled to herself and pulled the covers closer around Oni's chin. Then she turned back to her computer to finish up her work.

A chill suddenly went up Washu's spine. She looked around instinctively. Nothing was there. That put no damper on the creepy feeling Washu endured. Nevertheless, nothing could stand between Washu and finishing her work now.

The night was silent again, the quiet being broken only by the tapping of Washu on her keyboard.

* * * *

Finally, little Sasami had fallen fast asleep. The cool air coming through the open window ruffled her sea green hair and moonlight played upon her fair-skinned face. The peaceful scene was just the right atmosphere to bring out the beauty in the event that happened next.

An astral projection arose from where Sasami lay. After rising out of her youthful body, Tsunami took a moment to kneel over the sleeping Sasami and brush a piece of hair out of her face.

"Sleep well, Sasami-chan. This will only take a moment, I promise you."

The projection phased, much like Ryoko would do, and appeared in the dark psudolab.

"Well, Tsunami-chan," said a voice. Tsunami turned to see Washu, who didn't even look up. "What's wrong?"

"Ah, Washu-chan," Tsunami answered. "I should have expected you to be up."

"So, you felt something, too?" Washu said.

Tsunami nodded. "It was distressing Sasami. I had to find more about it so she would be at ease."

"I don't think there's much hope of that," Washu said. "Last time you felt something, you guys had that big ordeal with Kagato on the Souja. I don't call that being at ease." The scientist paused for a moment. "Not that I'm complaining, mind you. If you hadn't, I would still be in that rock-thing."

"Well," said Tsunami, smiling politely at the scientist, "you know what's wrong, don't you?"

"I haven't given it much thought," Washu admitted.

"I think it has to do with your daughter."

"Who, Ryoko? She can take care of herself. I have extreme faith in her." Washu then caught the look Tsunami was giving her. "No. You think something's going to happen to Oni-chan?"

"I didn't exactly say that. I just think we should be prepared." Tsunami sighed. "You know, no one really got rid of that Dr. Clay character. I don't doubt he'll try something again."

Washu snorted. "I bet he still wants me to see Tokimi, huh?"

"How did you-?"

"Hey now, I didn't become the Greatest Genius in the Universe for nothing!" Washu said.

"I wonder what Tokimi wants," said Tsunami.

Beside the two, Oni stirred. Washu tensed and quieted her voice. "We better discuss this later, Tsunami-chan. And try to forget about it while you're with Sasami. The last thing we need is to have poor Sasami-chan freaking out over something she can't do anything about, ne?"

"Hai." With that, Tsunami disappeared.

* * * *

Pale green eyes shot open in the darkness. A strange feeling came over Oni. Had someone been watching her? She looked around in the dark corner of Washu's lab. By this time, Washu had already finished her work and went to sleep herself.

Course breathing could be heard just a few yards from Oni's futon. The girl tensed at the obvious presence of a dark figure. She looked around in hopes of seeing the person and protecting herself. A cold, metallic hand reached out, causing Oni to jump back in fear. 

Suddenly, the earth was shaking.

"Oni?" said a voice. "Oni-chan, wake up!"

Oni's eyes snapped open. This time it was real. With her eyes open, Oni saw a young, freckle-faced girl kneeled over her, shaking her frantically.

"Sasami-san?" Oni answered. "What're you doing here?"

"I was just going to tell you it was time for breakfast," Sasami said. "You're a heavy sleeper, you know. I've been trying to wake you for five minutes at least."

"Oh, uh, Gomen, Sasami-san," Oni said, giving a sheepish smile.

"That's okay. And call me Sasami-chan, okay?"

Oni snorted. "You're starting to sound like Mom."

"Well, I've never really had anyone my own age around here, and if we could be good friends, I'd be really glad, so..." Sasami trailed off. She put a cute winking expression on her face and stuck out her tongue just as cutely.

"Sure, Sasami-chan," Oni said. "But you have to call me Oni-chan and be my good friend, too. Okay?"

"You bet! Now, come on, breakfast is getting cold!" The playful young princess grabbed Oni by the hand and dragged her down the stairs.

The entire family was sitting at the table, loaded dishes in front of each one of them. Ryoko suddenly called out, "Hey, Oni, finally decided to join us morning people, huh? Come on, sit, eat, stay for awhile!"

"'Us morning people', Ryoko?" said Ayeka maliciously. "Because it seems to me that you've slept in until noon every morning of your miserable life."

"Hey, I'm up early today, aren't I?" said Ryoko, unfazed by Ayeka's words. "Besides, Tenchi said getting up early was a good trait, so I'm working on it and getting better." Ryoko went 'starry-eyed' and mumbled Tenchi's name a few times. Ayeka looked at her in disgust.

"Hey, guys, can you please try to get along for one meal?" requested Sasami. She gave a helpless look to Oni and sat down, first showing Oni to a seat of her own. "Would you like some miso soup, Oni-chan?"

"Yes please!"

"Miso soup, that sounds good!" Mihoshi said from across the table. "May I have some, too, Sasami-chan?" Sasami handed a bowl of the soup over to Mihoshi, who cheered before digging in.

"So, what took you so long to get down here, Oni?" Ryoko, who happened to be sitting next to Oni, asked.

"Yeah, Oni! Did you have trouble sleeping? Do you need some extra pillows? If you need anything don't hesitate to ask me, and I'll-!" Mihoshi eagerly said.

"Um, no thanks, that won't be necessary," Oni interrupted quickly. "I'm just...not used to the time difference. In space, I just slept whenever I wanted, since there was really no light or day, and I'm just not used to being on Earth yet."

"Nani?" Mihoshi said.

Washu, who had been unusually quiet this morning, said, "Now, now, Mihoshi, there's really no point in trying to understand, for you anyway. I suggest you stop before you get a headache."

"Washu-chan, that's not very nice!" Mihoshi objected.

"Fine. If you play your cards right, I'll tell you later."

"Okay!"

Oni looked around nervously. Everyone seemed to be watching her this morning, though it might have been her imagination. After all, it wasn't that unusual for the new girl in the group to be the center of attention. Even still... "So, where's Tenchi-san this morning?" Oni asked.

"He's at school this morning," answered Yosho, sipping at his sake.

"Oh." After that, the subject seemed to die. Oni wasn't about to give up on a semi-normal conversation with a group of people she hardly knew. "Where does he go to school?" she asked.

Ayeka fumed. "You seem a little interested in Tenchi-sama, don't you?" she accused.

"Um, I..." 'This was definitely not the way things were supposed to go,' Oni thought to herself.

"Hey, Ayeka," Ryoko suddenly piped up, "cut her some slack! Just because you don't have the slimmest chance of getting Tenchi's affection doesn't mean you have to jump on anybody that brings him up! I mean, good God, Princess!"

"Listen, bakemono," Ayeka began.

"Ladies, ladies," said Yosho. "You have to calm down."

Ayeka took a deep breath. "Yes, Yosho-nii-san," she said.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Ryoko said at the same time. "Hey, Oni! How'd ya like to go for a walk or something? Catch up on things, do sister stuff... It'll be fun!"

Oni looked down at her hardly-touched bowl of miso soup. "But-" she began.

Before she could finish, Ryoko grabbed Oni's wrist and started floating. "'But' nothing! Let's go!" She floated through the door with a startled-looking little sister hanging by her arm.

Washu silently watched them leave, a serious expression on her face. 'Well, the more I think about it, the more I realize Tsunami's right. Oni is in grave danger.'

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Well, there you have it, Chapter 4. Though I tried to keep the Japanese out, I slipped up a few times...^^;;; But, as you've heard from other chapters, "gomen" means "sorry", "nani" means "what". Not from other chapters, "nii-san" means brother (elder?). Heh. That little chart thing I had earlier was a tad annoying. In any case, please review!


	5. Powerless

I'm incredibly sorry I haven't updated in centuries! I'm going to blame the dreaded Writers' Block, even though I know very well that it's my lazy disposition's fault. Probably the fact that I wrote chapter 5 long ago, lost it somewhere on my computer, forgot about it, and can't find it now has something to do with it, too.

Another mistake: I realized that I was being an idiot in the end of Chapter 4. Sasami calls people "nee-chan" (neh-chan for lack of better description), not just "chan". And she calls everyone nee-chan and nii-chan! If it comes up, I'll just _subtly_ change it. I would just edit the end of the last chapter, but I already feel that lazy disposition coming on. Maybe I'll get around to it someday... (and maybe I'll just stop making stupid mistakes...yeah, like that'll happen.)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Chapter 5 - Powerless

With Ryoko and Oni gone, the house took on a quiet aura. Chores were currently being done, and shortly after coming home, Tenchi set out to work in the carrot fields. The house was especially silent. With Sasami cleaning up in the kitchen, Washu in her lab, Nobuyuki working in his study, and Yosho sweeping the yard, the only sound came from outside, where Ayeka and Mihoshi were busy doing the laundry. Mihoshi was most tolerable when she did this, Ayeka thought, probably because she actually knew what she was doing and didn't ask too many questions.

They worked together to hang a sheet on the line. "You know, Ayeka, it must be a lot easier to get the house clean since everyone came here, huh?" Mihoshi said, returning to the basket of damp clothes and pulling out one of Yosho's shirts.

"We probably make more mess than we clean, especially with Ryoko fighting all the time, Washu blowing up things in her lab, and you-" Ayeka stopped herself, not wanting to be rude. The truth was, she made more messes while squabbling with Ryoko than Mihoshi did just being clumsy.

"And now we have another person. I wonder if she'll be as much of a handle as we all are," Mihoshi said, not thinking.

Ayeka stopped and scowled at her. "Now, Mihoshi, we aren't all that bad. Sure it might be better if we didn't all love Tenchi, and we are all pretty strange by Earth standards, but we try to pull our own weight." She thought of Ryoko, out taking a walk when all the chores were to be done. "Most of us do, anyway."

"Hopefully Tenchi won't catch Oni's eye, too. Think how complicated everything would be!"

"She'd _better_ not get a childish crush on my Tenchi-sama!"

Mihoshi shrugged and carried the now-empty basket out of the way. "We're done, Ayeka-san. Now, will you take a bath with me? The towels are already dry." She smiled cheerfully as she tugged the corner of a towel at the beginning of the line. Indeed it was already warm and dry from the heat of the sun. Ayeka groaned at Mihoshi's eagerness and walked over to the towels and grabbed herself one. Then she walked without saying a word to the baths, Mihoshi happily tagging along behind.

* * * *

"Hurry up, hurry up!" Ryoko yelled after her sister as floated above the running girl. "I have a cool place to show you!" She grabbed Oni's hands and pulled her up into the air. "Whew, you feel like lead. How about you fly a little and make it easier on your Oneesan, ne?"

"Sorry," Oni said. "I thought we were going for a _walk_."

"But that would take twice as long."

"I-I don't like flying," said Oni nervously.

Ryoko eyed her suspiciously. "You aren't afraid of heights, are you?" she asked. "Because if you are, this place'll be no fun!"

"No, I just don't really like to fly...it's...um...tiring."

"Okay, then, I'll carry you, poor little baby," Ryoko mocked lightly. She held her sister tighter and sped up, loop-the-looping through the air.

The waterfall sat deep in the hills. It was at least fifty feet tall, and the cascading water clashed with the sun to sparkle beautifully. The mist rose up from the pool at the bottom as the falling water crashed relentlessly into it. Rainbows multiplied with the growing mist as the sun grew slowly higher in the sky. Around the pool were weeping willows. The ones closer to the waterfall were blue-gray through the vapor. The rest were a healthy shade of jade green.

Oni stood in awe as Ryoko descended to the top of the waterfall. "You can climb down if you want. I'm done taxiing your butt around," Ryoko teased.

"This place is so cool," Oni said, weak with the beauty.

"Well, it's pretty all right," Ryoko said halfheartedly. She phased halfway down the waterfall and hovered. "There's a cave down here," she called. "Do you think you can get to it?"

"I'll try," said Oni. She did, and found it pretty easy, once she was down the rockface, to get to the center of the waterfall. There was a narrow ledge to help her. The cave opening was big, but hidden under the water. She walked inside to where Ryoko was waiting.

"Why are we here?" Oni asked.

"Because this is the closest cave that no one in the Tenchi household knows about, except maybe Yosho. That is, I wouldn't be surprised if he knows where it is. That man surprises me to know end."

"That reminds me: Yosho is from Jurai, isn't he? Is he the one that you were with for 20,000 years? Mom said it was a boy that was keeping you from her. Tenchi seems a little young, too..."

Ryoko laughed. "Hell no! He just was the one that locked me in that cave! God, what was that Washu thinking? Me? Be kept away by a boy? Ha!"

"But don't you like Tenchi?" Oni said, afraid she'd overstep her boundaries.

"No," Ryoko answered. "I love Tenchi. Tenchi is what kept me from going insane those last few years I was in the cave. He loves me, too. The hard part is, he loves all of us."

"What do you mean?"

"Tenchi is incapable of not loving anyone who he's known for awhile unless they're incredibly evil. Or else he would've kicked me out long ago," she admitted.

"Why?" Oni asked.

"You ask a lot of questions, don't you, kiddo?" Ryoko said, grinning. "It's obvious he'd want to kick me out. I've been the number one Most Wanted in the known universe. I destroyed people and families, planets and homes. In fact, it's amazing he doesn't find me incredibly evil. He sees beyond all that. For the most part.

"We shouldn't stay too long. I just wanted to show you my spot. I don't usually like caves as a rule, but this one isn't very deep or threatening."

"No, it's not," Oni said, looking around the small place. It would be the perfect home for something had it been closer to the ground. The walls were smooth and rounded, carved out by pounding water. It was cool, but not cold, maybe a little damp. Oni smiled at her sister's find.

"Now, neechan, it's my turn to ask you some questions," Ryoko said. "For instance, why you wouldn't fly, or, the other day, help me beat up on that Ayeka-doll."

Oni paused to take a big breath. Then she looked at Ryoko, as if considering. "Actually, the thing is...I can't."

"Can't what?"

"Can't fly. Or use energy swords or fireballs like you can. I can't even really teleport," Oni admitted.

"What!? But I saw you; you did teleport!"

"Mom sent me with one of her inventions."

"She-Did she even give you any powers?" demanded Ryoko. "Or did she just decide to let you suffer through everything you went through like some...some powerless human?"

"I don't know," said Oni sadly.

"Hey, I'm sorry, kid. Let's go back. They must be done doing chores by now." She winked and gripped Oni's shoulder. With that, she teleported the both of them back home.

* * * *

"WASHU!" screamed a voice as a figure phased into the psudolab. Ryoko flew swiftly through the lab, looking as though she would have liked to blow the whole thing to bits. Her form crackled and fizzled with anger that she didn't care to hide. "Washu, where the hell ARE you?!"

"Oh, Ryoko-chan!" Washu said, pulling out into an aisle in the machinery on her floating pillow. "What is it?"

"Why doesn't Oni have any defensive powers? What were you thinking? She could have died all those years in space!" Ryoko yelled.

"What? Ryoko, please slow down. Even the Greatest Genius in the Universe can't understand babble," Washu said. "Now, what is it you wanted to ask me?"

Ryoko glared at Washu. "Oni can't fly. Oni can't teleport. Oni can't create fireballs or energy swords. How was she supposed to defend herself, Washu?"

"Why do you care so much?" Washu said. "I haven't seen you this upset since you flunked out of the Little Marvels Preschool."

"Well," continued Ryoko, calming down somewhat, "I might have not even known my sister. And she's your creation! What were you thinking leaving her so defenseless?"

"I tried making a powerful daughter once. It didn't work out. Do you know why Kagato stole you away from me?"

"Because I was so strong I guess," Ryoko said, wavering a little.

"Yes! You're so much smarter than you first seem, Ryoko," Washu said proudly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" demanded Ryoko.

"Anyway, what can I do about Oni now? She only has one gem, and I promised Funaho I wouldn't create anything else like you two. Of course, she doesn't even know about Oni...slipped my mind to tell her," Washu said lightly, her trademark mischievous grin on her face. "Now, you go on and do something useful. I have work to do." She motioned at the door and it opened. "I'll talk to you later, dear daughter. Bye!"

* * * *

Oni sat in the living room as the family watched their favorite soap opera after dinner. She wasn't very fond of soaps, or television in general, but she watched without a word and played with the cabbits when she got bored. Mostly she was playing with Ryo-ohki, as her own cabbit seemed much more interested in the strange-looking fish people on the screen than she and Ryo-ohki. Even with everyone wrapped up in the antics on the screen, Oni felt confortable to be with people again. Beside her on the couch sat Ryoko and Ayeka, flanking Tenchi, who seemed too distracted by their possessive clinging to watch the show. In a chair on the right sat Mihoshi, leaning forward, eyes glued to the screen. On the left sat Washu, who had emerged from her psudolab to watch. From the kitchen door, Sasami watched the soap while washing the dinner dishes.

Oni smiled to herself. It didn't take long for the family to accept her. She didn't even really know their stories or their history or even their feelings and personalities. She was just glad to be in their presence and to hear them input their comments or just breathe. She expected it was fate that brought the lot together. They seemed destined-to-be.

She was also destined to be with these people, she knew. She would be through these people through the soap-opera-watching, and the eating and sleeping, even arguing. Just living. She tried to remember the last time she felt so at-ease.

Once in awhile, Oni would catch Washu giving side-long glances to her and Ryoko, making sure everything was alright with her daughters. It seemed more like a habit than anything else. Oni doubted if Ryoko ever noticed her mother checking up on her, except subconsciously, but it made them even more of a family. They were a family inside a family, for maximum security and love.

The girl didn't notice she was falling asleep. She didn't notice Tenchi's strong arms scoop her up and carry her into Washu's lab and lay her down on the futon, Ryoko at his side, making sure her love took good care of her little sister though she knew he would. All Oni knew was that she never had and never would have a better night's sleep than that one in all of her life.

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Done! Now I can _finally_ update! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. As always, please review!


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